Mazmur 11:1

Psalm 11 ¹ 

For the music director; by David.

11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. ² 

How can you say to me, ³ 

“Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁴ 

Mazmur 16:10

16:10 You will not abandon me ⁵  to Sheol; ⁶ 

you will not allow your faithful follower ⁷  to see ⁸  the Pit. ⁹ 

Mazmur 23:5

23:5 You prepare a feast before me ¹⁰ 

in plain sight of my enemies.

You refresh ¹¹  my head with oil;

my cup is completely full. ¹² 

Mazmur 32:7

32:7 You are my hiding place;

you protect me from distress.

You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. ¹³  (Selah)

Mazmur 33:16

33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

Mazmur 37:40

37:40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, ¹⁴ 

for they seek his protection.

Mazmur 43:2

43:2 For you are the God who shelters me. ¹⁵ 

Why do you reject me? ¹⁶ 

Why must I walk around ¹⁷  mourning ¹⁸ 

because my enemies oppress me?

Mazmur 74:4

74:4 Your enemies roar ¹⁹  in the middle of your sanctuary; ²⁰ 

they set up their battle flags. ²¹ 

Mazmur 74:11

74:11 Why do you remain inactive?

Intervene and destroy him! ²² 

Mazmur 79:9

79:9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!

For the sake of your glorious reputation, ²³  rescue us!

Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation! ²⁴ 

Mazmur 86:1

Psalm 86 ²⁵ 

A prayer of David.

86:1 Listen ²⁶  O Lord! Answer me!

For I am oppressed and needy.

Mazmur 86:11

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ²⁷ 

Then I will obey your commands. ²⁸ 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ²⁹ 

Mazmur 91:7

91:7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,

and a multitude on your right side,

it ³⁰  will not reach you.

Mazmur 91:13

91:13 You will subdue ³¹  a lion and a snake; ³² 

you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.

Mazmur 94:14

94:14 Certainly ³³  the Lord does not forsake his people;

he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him. ³⁴ 

Mazmur 94:23

94:23 He will pay them back for their sin. ³⁵ 

He will destroy them because of ³⁶  their evil;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

Mazmur 95:11

95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,

‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” ³⁷ 

Mazmur 97:8

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns ³⁸  of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

Mazmur 104:13

104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; ³⁹ 

the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. ⁴⁰ 

Mazmur 105:25

105:25 He caused them ⁴¹  to hate his people,

and to mistreat ⁴²  his servants.

Mazmur 111:6

111:6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people,

giving them a land that belonged to other nations. ⁴³ 

Mazmur 118:27

118:27 The Lord is God and he has delivered us. ⁴⁴ 

Tie the offering ⁴⁵  with ropes

to the horns of the altar! ⁴⁶ 

Mazmur 119:69

119:69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies, ⁴⁷ 

but I observe your precepts with all my heart.

Mazmur 119:90

119:90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. ⁴⁸ 

You established the earth and it stood firm.

Mazmur 119:168

119:168 I keep your precepts and rules,

for you are aware of everything I do. ⁴⁹ 

Mazmur 132:7-8

132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!

Let us worship ⁵⁰  before his footstool!

132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,

you and the ark of your strength!

Mazmur 136:11

136:11 and led Israel out from their midst,

for his loyal love endures,

Mazmur 137:5

137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

may my right hand be crippled! ⁵¹ 

Mazmur 138:4

138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks ⁵²  to you, O Lord,

when they hear the words you speak. ⁵³ 

Mazmur 138:8

138:8 The Lord avenges me. ⁵⁴ 

O Lord, your loyal love endures.

Do not abandon those whom you have made! ⁵⁵ 

Mazmur 139:5

139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;

you place your hand on me.

Mazmur 139:14

139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. ⁵⁶ 

You knew me thoroughly; ⁵⁷ 

[11:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.

[11:1]  ² tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[11:1]  ³ tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[11:1]  ⁴ tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.

[16:10]  ⁵ tn Or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.

[16:10]  ⁶ sn In ancient Israelite cosmology Sheol is the realm of the dead, viewed as being under the earth’s surface. See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 165-76.

[16:10]  ⁷ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד [khasid], traditionally rendered “holy one”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10). The psalmist here refers to himself, as the parallel line (“You will not abandon me to Sheol”) indicates.

[16:10]  ⁸ tn That is, “experience.” The psalmist is confident that the Lord will protect him in his present crisis (see v. 1) and prevent him from dying.

[16:10]  sn According to Peter, the words of Ps 16:8-11 are applicable to Jesus (Acts 2:25-29). Peter goes on to argue that David, being a prophet, foresaw future events and spoke of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:30-33). Paul seems to concur with Peter in this understanding (see Acts 13:35-37). For a discussion of the NT application of these verses to Jesus’ resurrection, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 292-95.

[16:10]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew word שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 30:9; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4). Note the parallelism with the previous line.

[23:5]  ¹⁰ sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.

[23:5]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.

[23:5]  ¹² tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.

[32:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”

[37:40]  ¹⁴ tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry on the generalizing tone of the preceding verse.

[43:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.

[43:2]  ¹⁶ tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).

[43:2]  ¹⁷ tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.

[43:2]  ¹⁸ sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.

[74:4]  ¹⁹ tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.

[74:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “your meeting place.”

[74:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).

[74:11]  ²² tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.

[79:9]  ²³ tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[79:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “your name.”

[86:1]  ²⁵ sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.

[86:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[86:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[91:7]  ³⁰ tn Apparently the deadly disease mentioned in v. 6b is the understood subject here.

[91:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “walk upon.”

[91:13]  ³² tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).

[94:14]  ³³ tn Or “for.”

[94:14]  ³⁴ tn Or “his inheritance.”

[94:23]  ³⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive is used in a rhetorical sense, describing an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

[94:23]  ³⁶ tn Or “in.”

[95:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).

[97:8]  ³⁸ tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).

[104:13]  ³⁹ tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”

[104:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product; result,” then one could translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB).

[105:25]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “their heart.”

[105:25]  ⁴² tn Or “to deal deceptively.” The Hitpael of נָכַל (nakhal) occurs only here and in Gen 37:18, where it is used of Joseph’s brothers “plotting” to kill him.

[111:6]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the strength of his deeds he proclaimed to his people, to give to them an inheritance of nations.”

[118:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and he has given us light.” This may be an elliptical expression, with “his face” being implied as the object (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). In this case, “his face has given us light” = “he has smiled on us,” or “he has shown us his favor.” Another option (the one reflected in the translation) is that “light” here symbolizes divine blessing in the form of deliverance. “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Some prefer to repoint the form וְיָאֵר (vÿya’er; vav [ו] conjunctive + jussive) and translate the statement as a prayer, “may he give us light.”

[118:27]  ⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew noun חַג (khag) normally means “festival,” but here it apparently refers metonymically to an offering made at the festival. BDB 291 s.v. חַג 2 interprets the word in this way here, citing as comparable the use of later Hebrew חֲגִיגָה, which can refer to both a festival and a festival offering (see Jastrow 424 s.v. חֲגִיגָה).

[118:27]  ⁴⁶ tn The second half of v. 27 has been translated and interpreted in a variety of ways. For a survey of major views, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 122.

[119:69]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “smear over me a lie.”

[119:90]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”

[119:168]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “for all my ways [are] before you.”

[132:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “bow down.”

[137:5]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 236). The translation assumes an emendation to תִּכְשַׁח (tikhshakh), from an otherwise unattested root כשׁח, meaning “to be crippled; to be lame.” See HALOT 502 s.v. כשׁח, which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The corruption of the MT can be explained as an error of transposition facilitated by the use of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”) just before this.

[138:4]  ⁵² tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.

[138:4]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”

[138:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “avenges on my behalf.” For the meaning “to avenge” for the verb גָּמַר (gamar), see HALOT 197-98 s.v. גמר.

[138:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “the works of your hands.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular, “work of your hands.”

[139:14]  ⁵⁶ tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).

[139:14]  ⁵⁷ tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.